Toy Car Sells For Over £2,000 At Auction In Market Harborough

A toy car has sold at auction in Market Harborough for £2,200 – more than the price of a decent real second-hand motor!

The match-box sized grey Volvo PV 444 went under the hammer at Gildings auction house during a Toys, Models and Model Railway sale, selling for more than ten times the estimated sale price of between £120 and £180.

The die-cast model, made by Swedish toy maker Geno in the 1960s, was in mint condition and still in its original box.

Gildings Director Will Gilding told Hfm: “To most people even the estimate price would be considered a large sum of money to pay for a vintage die-cast toy car, so the fact that this little Volvo sold for an amount to rival some real second hand cars is remarkable.

“However, the reasons for the high sale price boil down to the fundamentals of collecting, whatever the item. The condition was mint including the box, which is unusual as it dates to the 1960s. Not only that, the car was also already rare, with the Swedish manufacturer Geno being far less prolific than more commonly seen makes like Dinky.

“Further novelty came from the model and colour of the car. And finally, and perhaps most importantly, Volvo has a dedicated band of admirers and this auction had two who were determined to get it, but only one could drive away with it!”

The model Volvo